The Two Worst Witches
by the stargate time traveller
Summary: Mildred Hubble jumps forwards in time - into the time Hettie Hubble attends ! Cackles wont know what hit it...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - I don't own WORST WITCH, just this story.**

**The Two Worst Witches.**

**The portal.**

_Present day._

" Good morning class," Miss Cackle greeted the spell class.

" Good morning Miss Cackle," the class chanted back.

Miss Cackle smiled at the girls, enjoying the looks of delight on their faces and took the time to look at each and every one of them.

There was Bellodonna Bindweed, blond, self assured and arrogant. Wait till she tries today's spell. She didn't like the girl, mostly because of her granny's relationship with her evil twin sister, Agatha.

Then there was Hettie Hubble, Mildred Hubble's cousin. The girl had surpassed her cousin, Mildred had been less audacious in her day.

Then there was Mona Hallow, who'd have thought that Mildred Hubble's own cousin would become friends with a Hallow ?

She shook herself out her stupor and reminiscing mood as she taught the lesson.

" Today, class, we shall be learning about portal magic. This is one of the most complex forms of magic known to magical kind. There are 2 kinds of magical portal - space and time. Both are complicated and difficult to master, so do not be disheartened if you cannot get it right."

With a wave of her hands, she sent the incantations for both spells on the board. " We will be doing the space portal spell today and the time spell in your 4th and last year."

Bellodonna put up her hand and Amelia nodded to her. " Why can't we learn the time spell ?"

Amelia looked at her as if she was thick, in fact the rest of the class was as well, including Cynthia Horrocks, Bindweeds friend.

" Because, Miss Bindweed, the time spell is difficult magic and hard to master for an 11 year old."

Bindweed looked embarrassed.

" Before we start, I shall make a little demonstration," holding out her hands, Cackle recited the spell.

" Vortex perta space," A small blue swirling mist appeared, grew slightly bigger and became slightly glass like. It was like a mirror, showing the back of the room. The class looked behind them and the portal showed their reflection it seemed.

Amelia vanished the portal. " The spell was invented 400 years ago, it was to provide witches with ways of crossing space and time in minutes. The time portal was invented 3 years later."

Hettie put up her hand," Yes Hettie. "

"Is the spell banned ? If so, why teach us ?"

Amelia chuckled at the girl, " The spell isn't banned but it is prohibited, the teaching of it is not illegal."

Belladonna decided to take the law into her own hands. She hated being humiliated, especially in class and being embarrassed by a teacher. She decided to show the old crone the error of her ways.

" Porta vortex localem et temporum" unfortunately, she got the pronunciation wrong.

Miss Cackle looked up, and saw the portal, it was spitting light and wind, blowing the room to pieces.

" You foolish girl! Didn't I tell you not to perform the spell !"

To the rest of the class, she screamed out. " The rest of you get out."

As the class ran from the room, Amelia spent the next 5 minutes vanishing the spell. She knew what the stupid girl had done and was performing another time space spell. The trick was to perform both spells and vanish them accordingly.

Outside, Mona looked at Hettie and Cressie, " I can't believe her sometimes, just because H.B adores Belladonna doesn't mean she'd right all the time."

The two girls nodded, " Yeah, I wonder what Hardbroom'll do when she gets back."

Hardbroom was attending a potions convention and would be back in 4 days.

" Maybe she'll wake up and realise what the girl is really like." Cressie thought aloud.

" Maybe not, you know what, when Ethel, Mona's sister was here, H.B ignored everything she did."

Mona looked down, that was true. Ethel, her eldest sister had got away with a lot a things during her time at Cackles. It had been Ethel who'd told her and her other sister, Sybil, horror stories about Mildred Hubble, Hettie's cousin.

Before anyone could say anything, Miss Cackle came out of the classroom. She was tired and angry and turned to face Belladonna, " Miss Bindweed, I'll make sure that you are in detention for the rest of the year, writing lines every night for 4 hours. Come to my office after dinner tonight and do not even think of weaselling your way out of it."

To the rest of the girls, she spoke, " I hope you have all learnt a valuable lesson here today, never misuse magic for it is a danger if provoked."

_In the past._

Mildred Hubble, walked through the school, her new head girl badge shinning on her chest. She still couldn't believe that she'd been appointed, and it was all thanks to Maud Moonshine, her best friend.

Mildred's parents had celebrated but Mildred had been numb all summer, studying for the term for the reason that she was through being the Worst Witch and the lowest achieving girl in her year.

No more.

She'd thrown herself at her duties, helping the students any way she could, bringing concerns to the staff. If Mildred didn't know any better, she could swear she saw a twinkle and smile in Miss Hardbroom's face and eye.

How times changed.

Mildred was just turning the corridor when she saw a flash of blue light in front of her. She only had time to scream…..

A/N - What do you think ?


	2. Chapter 2

**The Two Worst Witches.**

**Unexpected Visitor.**

Miss Cackle walked through the corridors of the academy. It had been a very long day, the incident with Belladonna Bindweed enough to make what she'd hoped would be a productive day and turned into an absolute disaster.

Amelia had always been wary of teaching the portal spells, the way they could be misused was enough to make them absolutely dangerous. Teaching those spells to someone like Belladonna was just asking for trouble. The headmistress was also concerned by the damage those portals had done to the fabric of time and space. The counter spell was repairing the damage but it would be a while before they could be cast again.

Amelia was just walking down the passage that lead to her rooms, when she saw a portal appear. Amelia raised her hands to dispel it when it vanished, leaving someone in its wake.

It was a girl. A girl wearing the old uniform of Cackles before the change from short sleeves to long grey sleeves and the sash wasn't thick, it was narrow.

But it was the girls face that surprised Amelia.

The face of the girl who'd stopped her twin sister of 3 separate occasions, the girl who'd saved Cosies' tearoom from becoming an incinerator, the girl who'd rescued Algernon Rowan Webb from frogdom, the most infuriating but endearing girl apart from her cousin.

Mildred Hubble.

But that meant….she'd come from the past, it was the only explanation she could reach at this point.

Milded found herself in the same place, but it was late at night. Disorientated from the trip, she staggered, only to fall in the arms of someone she knew.

Miss Cackle. But she looked…older, more wrinkles were around her eyes and her hair was a silver colour. But her eyes still had that twinkle, that zest, the love for life the headmistress had.

" Mildred, are you alright ?" Miss Cackle asked concerned. It wasn't unusual for people that were transported in time to be disorientated and Mildred had never been great when it came to balance. That was when she noticed the badge. So, this was the Mildred who'd become one of Cackle's greatest students.

Mildred nodded, her head starting to clear. " Yes, I think so. What happened ? Why are you so…so….?" Mildred was afraid to voice the question but the headmistress answered her with a grin.

" So old ?" She finished. Mildred blushed and nodded. " Yes, well, that would happen when 7 years have passed."

Mildred looked at her, her mouth open as she mouthed 7 years before she squeaked. " 7 years, how did that happen ?"

Amelia had questions of her own and helped Mildred to stand. Together the two witches walked along the corridors as Amelia asked her what happened.

" I was patrolling the corridors, looking for ideas to bring to the staff and help any students that needed it, when I saw this swirling mass of magic. It was blue and it reminded me of the portal magic you taught us in 1st year."

Amelia nodded thoughtfully. It made sense, the time portal hadn't dissipated as she'd hoped, it had pulled Mildred through time and space. Now she had a problem, how to send her back. Time and space were not easy things to manipulate, the school wouldn't be able to handle another portal for another 2 weeks.

Mildred was stuck here.

Curse that Bindweed girl.

" Miss Cackle ?"

Amelia shook herself into the here and now. Mildred was her responsibility and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep the girl away from the rest of the school. Being cruel wasn't Amelia's cup of tea, besides, Mildred wasn't the most patient or the most easiest girl to hide in the first place. Memories of Heckitty Broomhead came to her mind, she only hoped the sharp featured witch never darkened the halls of the academy again.

" Yes Mildred ?" She asked.

" I um I was wondering what is going to happen ?"

Good question.

An hour later, Mildred was sitting in bed. Her mind going over what the headmistress had told her. 7 years, that meant in this time she was 21 years old. Miss Cackle hadn't told her anything about what her 21 year old self was doing, whether or not she was still a magical practitioner. Frankly, she didn't want to know in case it changed or affected her own future.

The news of the time portal spell, how an arrogant student had tried performing it without any issues wasn't a total surprise. Arrogance was a trait shared by quite a few witches and wizards, particularly those born from magical families. Mildred knew quite a few of them - Drusilla Paddock, Ethel Hallow, Egbert Helibore, Baz and Gaz, Agatha Cackle and her cronies and to an extent, her own friends - Maud, Enid and Jadu, although those 3 didn't flaunt it as much as the others.

What did surprise her was the fact that a young witch was so _**stupid**_ to perform a spell like that, even Ethel wasn't stupid enough to do this, whoever the young witch was Mildred was going to hex her to oblivion.

The news H.B was going to come back in a few days wasn't something she really wanted, but she needed all the help she could get. Mildred wasn't sure where she and the potions teacher stood, in her time at Cackles the potions teacher had mellowed a little bit.

Would that be the case here ?

Mildred hoped so.

Mildred also noticed the paradox she'd thought up earlier - her time. She'd better get used to it. Now, she decided to get some sleep. The young witch was very tired and wanted to get some sleep. Miss Cackle intended to tell the rest of the school about her in the morning.

Not something the usually shy witch was looking forward to.

Clicking her fingers at the light, Mildred willed the candle to go out.

_In the morning…_

" I wonder what all this is about." Cressie asked her friends.

All the students of Cackles were seated in their chairs in the great hall. They were chatting together, wondering what was going on.

Mona looked at her friends, " I wonder who that cloaked woman is." She gestured to the stage where a figure, clearly a woman, was seated away from the staff. She was dressed in a long flowing black cloak with a cowl. The rest of the staff were chatting and glancing at her curiously.

Hettie looked curiously at the woman as well, wondering if it was her imagination that the woman glanced in her direction occasionally.

"Is it just me, or is that woman staring at me ?" She asked uneasily.

Mona and Cressie looked and noticed the figure giving Hettie a lot of attention. " No, she is looking at you. But why, there are many more students in the hall."

There was no more time for further speculation as Miss Cackle walked in and silence fell around the hall. The headmistress was both cheerful and a little worried.

This wasn't going to be easy.

As she moved to the stage, she gestured for the cloaked witch to move towards her.

" Yesterday, Miss Belladonna Bindweed," everyone noticed the jerk the figure made at the name," miscast the time portal spell. I was able to stop the portal getting out of control but I wasn't able to stop the consequences of the spell." Miss Cackle took a deep breath, " The portal brought forward a student from the past, 7 years in the past to be precise. She is going to be here for another 2 weeks, so I decided to let her move through the school without fear of reprisal or the harassment of some of the students."

To the figure, she said. " Take off the cowl, Mildred Hubble"

Mildred….? Hettie thought, this is a dream.

The witch took off the cowl, revealing the face of Mildred Hubble. Judging from the look on her face she was both fighting the desire to run and the desire to scream at the insanities that were surrounding her.

Mildred had been fighting nerves all morning, not looking forward to this in the slightest. Now, she was revealed. She'd been shocked to hear the name of the student - Bindweed. Not Betty Bindweed, she prayed. Mildred remembered all of her last meetings with her.

All the students looked at her with shock, they knew the legend of the former worst witch, a legacy taken up by her younger cousin.

But they wondered what it meant for Cackles.

A/N What do you think ?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I DON'T OWN THE WORST WITCH.**

**The 2 Worst Witches.**

**Mildred and Hettie.**

The students filed out of the hall, whispering and talking to one another about the events that'd swamped through the school so fast they were just catching up to.

Mildred Hubble had left a legacy on the school and everyone knew what she'd done in her days at Cackles. It was a legacy Hettie Hubble found easy to follow, whether the younger girl liked it or not.

Hettie and her friends stayed in the hall as they watched Mildred interact with the rest of the staff, each one of the girls lost in their own thoughts.

Mona Hallow remembered the stories her sisters told her about Mildred Hubble, and how they contradicted with each other. Ethel had told her how much of a bully the girl had been, whilst Sybil had told her Mildred was actually one of the kindest people she'd ever met and considering what she'd learnt about the girl during her time at Cackles it wasn't hard for her to believe.

Cressie remembered the time she'd almost failed her broomstick aptitude test, Hettie had given her a pebble which she claimed Mildred had used against a fearsome tiger. At the time, she'd wanted anything that would help her get through it without Hardbroom making it worse. Now, she wondered whether the older girl had done something like that.

Henrietta of the other hand was shaking with nerves. Mildred Hubble was her idol, she'd been trying for a long time to emulate her elder cousin, much to Mildred's exasperation. Here she was, as a student, when at the moment she was a successful witch. It was Mildred's success that Hettie wanted nothing more than to emulate. Unlike Mildred, who was sometimes a nervous wreck, Hettie was confident in herself. Sometimes.

Mildred was at the moment speaking to Miss Swoop, who was just as shocked as the rest of the hall. Unlike most of the hall, bar Hettie and Miss Cackle, Miss Swoop had actually met Mildred and she liked the girl.

Luckily for Mildred, Miss Cackle arrived and told the staff that they should let Mildred get acquainted with them at her own speed.

The teachers left the hall, leaving Mildred with the her cousin. For a long moment both cousins stared at one another, when Mildred spoke.

" I can't believe you're here Hettie, then again, following my footsteps is what you've always enjoyed doing." Mildred said with a wry smile.

Hettie found her voice. " I can't believe that you're here, cousin Millie."

With that the younger girl jumped and hugged her elder cousin. Both of them hugged each other warmly. Hettie closed her eyes, relishing her cousins scent and presence. After the touching moment, Henrietta dragged Mildred to where her best friends were standing, " Mona, Cressie, this is my cousin, Mildred Hubble."

Mildred held out her hand to Mona first, " Its nice to meet you, Mona…."

Mona sighed, knowing the girl wasn't going to like this, "Mona Hallow, my sisters have told me….interesting stories about you."

Mildred looked at her, " You're Ethel and Sybil's sister ?"

" Yeah, and before you ask, Ethel is still a bully, but Sybil isn't a pushover any more." Mona said, pride filling her voice.

Mildred looked at her, assimilating the news. She wasn't surprised to learn Ethel was still a bully and she was delighted to learn that Sybil wasn't a pushover. When she'd first met the younger Hallow, Sybil had burst into tears.

" Doesn't surprise me, Sybil only needed confidence." Mildred smiled, thinking that this girl was okay. Then again, so was Sybil, once you got over the girls tendency to sob her heart out and look down on herself.

It was Cressie that Mildred took an instant liking to. The young witch seemed to remind her of who she'd been before starting at the academy.

Cressie smiled shyly at her and held out the pebble, " This is yours."

Mildred noted the look on her cousin's face and took the pebble, " I don't think so…."

" But Hettie said -" Cressie said with a puzzled smile.

" Anyway," Hettie interrupted, " We've got a lot to catch up on."

Mildred was suspicious and turned to Cressie, knowing without asking that her cousin had told one of those stories that she loved. Hettie loved exaggerating her stories making them frightening or more fantastic than they actually were.

" Hettie said what ?" She asked Cressie, sending a look at her cousin that told the other girl to butt out.

" Hettie said that you'd fought a tiger with it," Cressie said, looking at Hettie, who looked down with her face blushing.

" Have you been telling tales about me again, dear cousin ?" Mildred asked, a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes.

Hettie winced.

This was not going to be good.

" I want you to repeat after me, Mildred Hubble did not go after a tiger, especially since the school already had something far worse." The smile became a grimace.

Cressie and Mona looked at one another. They knew what Mildred was talking about.

Hardbroom.

A/N What do you think, I know it's a bit rushed but I do have other things to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**The 2 Worst Witches.**

**The Dragon Returns.**

Constance Hardbroom was flying over the treetops near the academy as she thought over the recent conference, it had been very informative for her.

The number of people who'd come up with new and imaginative potions startled her, she liked experimenting and seeing what different ingredients did and how they reacted. 

But these people…they were amazing.

She was roused from her thoughts by the sight of the familiar battlements of Cackle's. Even though Constance was envious of the people who'd presented at the conference she loved teaching, even though she never showed it. She enjoyed filling young minds with knowledge, bringing new witches into the world. 

Even…._her_…Hardbroom shuddered at the memories…7 years ago….

As she came closer to the school, her senses, sensitive as they were, easily detected the high level of magic in the air. Constance recognised the smell, the tang. Magic had signature, a scent and feeling that only those truly attuned were able to sense. Constance was startled by the feel of the magic she was getting.

Time portal magic. 

Really powerful and strong. 

That in itself as it was startling, mostly because Miss Cackle, cheerful and carefree though she was, wasn't careless enough to cast such a spell. She wasn't stupid enough to give into such a dangerous temptation.

So where did it come from ?

Oh well, Constance mused, I'll find out soon enough.

It was quite late in the evening so she didn't need to start teaching until the morning and there were hopefully no students were out past curfew. Constance was tired and just wanted to say hello to the staff - she could see the light on in the staff room - and get something to eat and go to bed. 

That was it. 

After putting her broomstick away, Constance walked towards the staff room as quietly as she could. She paused outside the door, hearing the muffled voices. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but there was one voice that didn't belong. It wasn't Caspian, nor was it…she gulped….Hecketty Broomhead.

Constance was too tired to care so she opened the door and strode it. 

Just as she went in, she froze. No, she thought, please, not her. Not her. Not her. Even her former tutor was preferable than this.

There in front of her, wearing the old style uniform of the school, was someone Constance Hardbroom never expected to see again, even though she was presently a successful witch. 

Mildred Hubble. But she looked exactly as she did when she attended school, that puzzled Constance as she'd seen pictures of Mildred as she won various awards. She looked more mature, more smarter and sophisticated. She'd grown her hair longer and no longer wore it in pigtails. 

But this one….

She still looked like a child becoming a woman. 

A teenager….

Oh no.

Please, no. please, don't do this to me…..

Now Constance understood the time magic she'd sensed upon arrival. Mildred surely wasn't that foolish. No, the girl was…relatively harmless and wouldn't try such a dangerous spell. 

If Constance Hardbroom was shocked at seeing Mildred, then Mildred was slightly scared of Miss Hardbroom. From Mildred's point of view the last time she'd seen her form mistress was at least 5 days ago. From HB's perspective they'd parted company 7 years ago. 

HB hasn't changed, mused Mildred. She was still bony, with her hair in that tight, formal and terrifying bun. But there were lines of age and weariness around her face. The years were starting to take their toll on Hardboom, but Millie knew better than to underestimate Miss Hard broom, just like she knew better than to underestimate Egbert Helibore and Agatha and Amelia Cackle - they may've been old, but they were still capable of running rings around people. 

Constance still wasn't speaking so Mildred decided to break the silence and let Miss Hardbroom know this was real and that she was really here. 

She knew HB wouldn't like it, but she had no choice. 

" Hello Miss Hardbroom, how are you ?"

Miss Hardbroom was still frozen, but she silently turned around and headed out of the staff room. The staff exchanged uneasy and concerned looks at Mildred and Miss Cackle. The two witches glanced at one another and followed the tall terrifying witch out of the room and down the corridor. 

They found along the way, a witches hat and broom, just dumped in a corridor. They could see Miss Hardbroom stalking through the corridor, slowly, like a zombie. She was heading for the courtyard. 

Just as they were about to reach the corridor, they heard a blood curdling scream that was clearly Miss Hardbroom screaming. The scream was enough to wake the dead never mind the whole cursed school. Already the two witches could hear the voices of the girls, each one asking what was going on and others complaining about the noises. 

Mildred bit her lip, praying that none of them saw Miss Hardbroom like this.

They ran towards the courtyard and found Miss Hardbroom, probably one of the most terrifying witches either Cackle and Mildred Hubble had ever met…..on the ground and beating the ground with both fists. 

Mildred never thought she'd see such a sight in her life. HB was even muttering, " Not another one, is this the thanks I get for training witches, being given two of the most frustrating witches the world has ever known ? Why ? Why me ? Why me ? Why me ?"

Mildred looked at Miss Cackle, who was taking in the scene in front of her with wide eyes. She seemed torn between worry and amusement. 

Mildred went over to Miss Hardbroom and took the older woman into her arms and hugged her. Even though she was terrifying, she didn't like seeing her up set. Hardbroom's sobs of self pity settled down into sniffles.

Millie almost cracked up when she heard her former headmistress muttering, " Well, at least she took it well."

A/N What do you think ? Please leave a review, I need them so then I can get some ideas for how to take this story forwards. 


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry for the late update, my computer caught a nasty virus and all of my fan fiction write ups were deleted. **

**PS. For the record, the Miss Hardbroom version played here in this story is played by Kate Duchane. I liked her more than the later version.**

**Potions disaster.**

Constance Hardbroom stood in front of the potions class for the first time in a span of 2 weeks and joy of joys, it was Henrietta's form. Just what she needed.

" Today class, we shall be brewing the ice potion. Now, before I departed we went over this potion, how to prepare it, how to brew it and finally how to store it. Remember, this potion in the early stages is easy to spoil and can be difficult, at first, to brew. Practice makes perfect, but today I shall be marking you on how you actually perform during the brewing stages before we make the final version of the ice potion." 

Looking at each of the students in turn, she said, " Begin."

With that single word all the girls started their work on the ice potion and for a moment, Constance couldn't help but look at each of the girls, feeling a sense of pride in her. 

It always made her proud knowing that she was at the forefront of teaching new witches and keeping the spirit of witchcraft going. 

Then her gaze fell on Henrietta Hubble. 

Her sense of pride left, replaced by a gnawing sense of guilt. 

During her time at Cackle's, Mildred had gone through so much….there was so much Constance should've said to her. Maybe, now her former student was here displaced in time she could tell the girl the things she needed to say to Mildred.

Contrary to popular belief Miss Hardbroom didn't hate Mildred, in fact, the teacher adored her in her own way. How could she not ?

Mildred had so many qualities, good and bad just like every other girl, although at first she'd only shown the bad qualities in Miss Hardbroom's eyes. At first Miss Hardbroom didn't like her, but as time passed she found that Mildred wasn't the bad pupil she'd appeared, she was capable of learning - the voice changing potion before the Halloween disaster with Ethel's broom sprang to mind - she was able and willing to learn, she just lacked the necessary desire to actually perform magic. 

It was typical really, Constance knew that a good many witches from non magical backgrounds were unsettled and unaccustomed to magical arts and that even performing the simplest spell could make them uneasy. It was that reason that many witches - Miss Hardbroom among them - wanted witches from non magical families to be given magical knowledge before attending witch schools. 

Henrietta Hubble fell into that category, from what she'd seen the girl had been taught by Mildred before attending Cackles. But how much had she learnt, Constance didn't know, but the girl was by far more confident than Mildred had been as a student. 

Memories came to Miss Hardbroom's mind as she looked at the class, her mind refusing to move on to a different subject. 

…._a girl holding the Mytheocopia, how those impressionable girls got hold of it I don't know, she holds the book in front of her. The malevolent old witch is sucked into the book…_

_Compassionately, she holds out her hand, asking if you are alright. No, your mind thinks to itself. I am not alright. I feel like I've just made a massive mistake, I've just received the best present I can receive; Mildred Hubble expelled. But now….she's just gone and saved your life, revealing as she did that she has a gift that must be studied._

_But you also feel guilt because a part of you didn't want her to go….._

…_.Hecate Broomhead still terrifies you, right to the point where you stand perfectly still just like Hecate instructed you when you attended Witch Training College. Your sharp featured, sharp tongued former tutor is strapping a bracelet around a clearly agitated Mildred's wrist. She looks at you for only a moment, clearly wondering why you're just standing there and not protesting._

_You wish, just wish, for a moment you have the strength and will to fight her off, to help Mildred. But you cannot, Hecate Broomhead is a terrifying opponent and you cannot fight her off. _

_You feel shame. _

_You are not a teacher, unlike Amelia Cackle, who'd have fought off Hecate whether or not she was strong enough._

…_.She's kneeling in front of the Grand Wizard, babbling her head off so fast no one in the hall can understand what she's saying. Hellibore recognises her, angry that he's meeting her again. You apologise obsequiously, gripping her arm so tightly in your anger. She doesn't cry out, instead, she rambles on about some frog being a wizard. _

_When the grand wizard transforms the frog into the wizard, you glare at her but she doesn't take any notice, but deep down you wonder why she didn't come to you….._

…_you are lying in bed with your head wrapped up in a bandage. Its throbbing so hard that any movement, even the slightest vibration makes your head hurt even more. _

_You think of her, Mildred Hubble, messy plaits, untied bootlaces, even messier cat….you curse Tabby even though it was you that made sure she got the wretched animal in the first place. You're concentrating so hard you don't notice the animal until he comes and wraps himself around your neck like a scarf._

_When you do notice you find that he is actually quite sweet…maybe he isn't so bad after all….._

…_..Amelia's dragging her out of the classroom by her ear, you can't believe that the usually gentle headmistress, a woman you've never seen so angry and so violent, dragging a girl by her ear….you protest, but she doesn't listen, she's instead going on and on about keeping a grip on the school, then she drags Mildred into her office. _

_Mildred manages to call out but she calls for Miss Drill instead of you and you feel a slight twinge of jealousy…._

Constance shook herself out her reverie and went around the class, checking Henrietta and Mona's potion - it still startled her that a Hubble would make friends with a Hallow after the history between Mildred and Ethel - and Miss Hardbroom nodded at the potion. There wasn't anything wrong with it. 

As she was going away and checking over the students work, Belladonna, still smarting that the punishments from Cackle had been made worse when Miss Hardbroom came to her in the middle of breakfast and proclaimed that her punishments would also include cleaning the potions lab after she'd done her lines. The fact that the punishment would add another 2 hours meant nothing to the strict potions mistress. The blonde girls mind saw only one thing - it was all Hubble's fault, both of them. How was she supposed to know that Mildred Hubble would travel in time, all she'd wanted was to the best and Cackle to see that her concerns were unwarranted.

So, she decided to take revenge. 

On Hubble bubble's cousin.

Ignoring Horrocks' warnings, Bindweed scooped up a good portion of salt crystals and threw them into Hubble's cauldron. 

In the early stages of brewing potions can be volatile and the ice potion was no exception, salt crystals were an important ingredient of the potion but it had to be in measured quantities. Belladonna had just thrown in a good sized amount above the limits.

The result was instantaneous. The cauldron exploded, throwing out a massive amount of green gunge - the potion when finished would turn an icy blue - and covered the whole class. 

Miss Hardbroom looked at the mess with narrowed eyes, 

" Henrietta Hubble…" She was just about to shout out a scathing comment before throwing in a punishment. 

But she was interrupted.

" Actually, you should be shouting at Belladonna Bindweed." 

Since the end of her 3 year Mildred had started showing off other talents, it was like with the discovery of her talent for drawing and bringing those drawings to life her abilities started to hit the roof. 

One of them was the ability to move about invisibly. It had been a shock for everyone when she materialised in front of Ethel Hallow when the former was plotting on how to spoil her year. The memory of Miss Hardbroom looking like a demented goldfish still brought tears to her eyes.

The school had been stunned because she'd managed this without being taught something that witches like Hecate Broomhead and Miss Hardbroom had managed to master. It made some jealous, like Ethel Hallow and to a point, Maud Moonshine, but it also added to her duties. Who was going to make up some story when you had no idea how long Mildred had been there ?

By her fourth year she'd earned a nickname, Mille Hardbroom. With her current expression, arms folded, spell casting fingers at the ready - yes, like Miss Hardbroom - it was easy to see why, not to mention disconcerting.

Mildred appeared in the classroom, arms folded, back straight - with her expression, her posture, her hair colour and complexion and position of spell casting fingers the class wondered whether or not she was in fact Miss Hardbroom's daughter. Apart from their hairstyles, the two women looked virtually identical.

" Belladonna Bindweed threw in some extra salt crystals Miss Hardbroom, straight into Hettie's and Mona's cauldron. If there's one thing about this potion I know about its that you DON'T throw in more than 3 grams of salt, but this stupid girl obviously doesn't know that."

Turning to fact the terrified girl, Mildred flicked her fingers and a bucket of water, a large mop, a massive amount of cleaning fluid, cloths and scouring pads appeared. The message was clear, at least to the others.

" Get going," 

Belladonna looked puzzled, " What am I meant to do ?"

Mildred's next expression told the class that she clearly thought the girl was an idiot, but then they already knew that. The idiot part, that is.

" What do you think you're meant to do ? You're going to clean it up. Considering the amount of mess, the stickiness of the potion," she'd picked up a small quantity of the gunge and rubbed it between her fingers as she'd said this, " A lot of CIF and a little patience should make all the difference."

Belladonna looked at her with a little puzzlement with panic set in. " But, you can't make me do this."

" DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CAN'T DO !" 

Everyone in the class shivered at the fury of Mildred's voice not to mention her authority. Besides, just looking at Mildred was scaring the students in the class, never mind Miss Hardbroom. The form teacher had never seen Mildred like this, not even when Ethel tried her machinations.

Mildred's face was white with anger and her eyes were flashing with magic and her hair seemed to conduct electricity. 

" You brought me here in the first place, now you try to get my cousin into trouble. I can't think of anything better than this to make you pay for what you've done already."

Belladonna was about to protest again but then she took a real good look at Mildred. She'd heard of Mildred Hubble from her grandmother and she hadn't been impressed and believed that Mildred Hubble wasn't special. 

But now…..

Now, she could honestly say she was frightened. Mildred's Gaze alone was enough to make to consider the possibility of her being cursed. 

Grumbling under her breath she got to work.

Mildred kept an eye on her for a moment and nodded satisfied and flicked her fingers removing the mess from the girls. 

Belladonna didn't even notice and the class weren't going to say anything. 

Mildred turned her attention to Miss Hardbroom and her eyes were still flashing. 

" Miss Hardbroom, you and I need to have a chat."

_In the staffroom.._

" Why did you try to pin the blame on Hettie ?" Mildred asked Miss Hardbroom coldly. 

They were in the staffroom, watched by everyone - Miss Swoop, Miss Cackle and Miss Nightingale, all of them realised that this confrontation was between the two women.

Miss Hardbroom knew that no answer would placate the normally calm natured girl. Constance had already seen Mildred angry and didn't want that same anger directed towards her. 

" Henrietta's cauldron was the one that exploded, I believed that she must have done something wrong." The answer sounded reasonable but there was one little problem with the explanation.

It wasn't good enough for Mildred. 

" Mona was also working on the potion. From what I've seen Mona has the exact same intellect as Ethel, she would never make such an elementary mistake. Besides, I taught her the potion before I became Head girl. I taught her everything about it and how not to make stupid mistakes." 

Miss Hardbroom couldn't think of anything to say to that but before she could say anything else, Mildred started talking and her voice grew louder with each word.

" I bet you must've been overjoyed, having another Hubble here at Cackle's, another of my family to bully like you did me ?"

" No, it wasn't like that…." Miss Hardbroom's voice was drowned out by Mildred shouting.

" **Then what was it like ? I saw the whole thing, you didn't even give Hettie a chance. You were so prepared to fix the blame on her that you didn't even bother to try and find out from other girls what happened !"**

Before the poor woman could offer a protest, Miss Swoop stood up and tried to placate the angry young woman.

" I say, Mildred, don't you think… ?"

Mildred swung round on her, eyes flashing and face chalk white in fury. No, rage. Mildred quirked an eyebrow. 

Miss Swoop sat down. Miss Hardbroom was amazed, Mildred could inspire fear that even her old tutor and indeed herself could never manage without a word. 

Mildred turned back to Miss Hardbroom, who realised that Mildred hadn't even started on her. 

" You know, I often wonder why I bothered helping you when Mr Hallow and Amanda Honeydew tried to buy the school, remember ? Me and Maud found you in the dungeons, writing out a resignation letter. I should've just walked away and let it happen. Instead, I made the mistake of being _compassionate_." Mildred hissed the last word.

Miss Hardbroom blanched whilst Miss Cackle closed her eyes, wondering why Constance could never show adequate gratitude. The headmistress wasn't going to intervene, not unless Mildred used magic and there was no sign of that occurring. 

Yet. 

Mildred continued to lay into the virtually paralysed woman and gave her more verbal abuse. " You never gave me a chance, nor Hettie. Everything goes wrong, blame a Hubble. You lose a cat, it's a Hubble's fault. A potion explodes, it's a Hubble error. "

" I remember all the times I helped you, saved you. Remember the time you stupidly went and banged your head on that stupid boat on that holiday to Algernon's place ? What about the Uninvited, you were close to falling back under her spell. Would've done to, if I hadn't stopped her."

Mildred walked over to the door. 

" Mildred.." Miss Hardbroom was feeling ashamed and heartbroken as her old student looked at her with disgust.

" I should've turned away." 

Mildred walked out of the room, ignoring the pain from the older witch.

A/N. I know, not usual Mildred behaviour, but I wanted people to know what the base result of her rage would be if it grew hot enough.

Please, tell me what you think…( knees bent, hands clasped in prayer, face in pained expression ) pleassse !


	6. Chapter 6

**Aftermaths.**

" Your cousin is _scary_," Cressie whispered to Hettie at dinner. Mona and the others girls nodded in agreement. Some even shuddered at the memory. The whole school had heard by now, but without seeing it for themselves they were quite sure the first years were exaggerating.

Hettie looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her cousin in the hall, but she couldn't see her. Then again, if she was invisible…

Turning her attention back to her friends, Hettie said, " Only when she's really angry. I wasn't expecting her to be in the lab, let alone stick up for me in front of Hardbroom."

" Never mind show up Bindweed," Mona pointed out, cautiously taking a bite of her meal before wincing slightly at the taste.

" Its very hard to make Mildred that angry, she's usually calm natured."

Mona looked at her friend curiously, " What can set her off ?"

Hettie looked at her friends, remembering the few and far between times her favourite cousin had lost her temper.

" Mildred is usually very shy, she tends to stay out of the spotlight. Or tries to. She's very protective of family members and wont stop at anything to make sure they're safe. That includes her friends." Hettie explained whilst moving the strange….thing in her dinner bowl.

Mona and Cressie looked at one another and made a deep promise, never piss off Mildred Hubble.

In the staffroom, the tension had faded now Mildred had left.

Miss Cackle looked at Miss Hardbroom, the poor woman was almost catatonic with grief and guilt. Amelia would be kidding herself if she didn't understand her deputy head at times.

Amelia had always known that Constance Hardbroom was fearsome and the students believed that Constance was the real power in Cackles.

It was a myth both teachers cultivated.

In truth, Constance Hardbroom and Amelia had a good working relationship, Miss Hardbroom respected the older woman as a learned and powerful witch and would never dare try and start a confrontation.

Amelia respected and admired Constance's mastery of magic and potions brewing as second to none and knew that she was also a very caring woman, although she found the potions mistress to be incredibly dense. Miss Cackle had always known that Miss Hardbroom was incredibly dedicated to her students but she also had a very nasty habit of acting immensely similar to Hecate Broomhead when it came to talent.

In truth, before Constance had revealed the connection between herself and Broomhead, Amelia had been aware of the sour old hag and her teaching methods. To say they were barbaric was an understatement.

Hecate would force her students into hellish situations to test them and see whether or not they were worthy or not of her attention.

It wasn't unusual for some Witch academies to mistreat the students that were taught there and although it produced very strong willed girls into witches it also had its failings, quite a few of them, actually. Endangering the students in broomstick flying practices wasn't acceptable, neither was almost exploding a potion in the face of failure.

Broomheads methods of teaching was very near this level and while Constance had the same basic methods of humiliating students, she would keep it to a minimum. Cackle's had always tried to have a more relaxed and gentler teaching method but retained a stronger edge to show that witchcraft learning was a tough business.

Then Mildred Hubble arrived.

Unlike girls from witch families who knew what to expect from witch academies and witch training practices, Mildred didn't have any of this knowledge and had to make do.

As a result of this she came very close to being expelled on more than one occasion, only the girls luck and sheer magical talent kept her in the school.

Amelia knew the girl was talented, not just in magic but in other things. Amelia was good at seeing talent, it was a gift she'd had since she'd been very young. She inspired loyalty and charmed everyone she met. More or less, she conceded.

Amelia remembered when Mildred attempted to pass the broomstick flying test, she'd persevered, she'd been stubborn even though she was absolutely terrified of heights.

Amelia recalled the spells lesson when the conversation in the class turned to fear and Mildred had held a live spider in her hand. Whilst the rest of the girls had been on the verge of recoiling - even witches can be afraid of even the smallest insect or arachnid - Mildred hadn't even flinched.

Amelia recalled only too well Constance's unfair treatment of Mildred in the old days, she'd stayed out of most of it to show the students that as headmistress she couldn't have favourites, unfortunately not everyone understood or even knew that particular rule.

Constance Hardbroom had favourites in the past - Ethel Hallow and Belladonna Bindweed being the most notable.

Both girls were talented, Amelia couldn't ignore that but out of the two of them she knew which one she preferred, at least Ethel understood the dangers of the time spell.

Miss Cackle was amazed that Mildred had remarkable control of her temper - she'd never seen the girl so angry, not even when provoked and she'd had lots of provocation in her days at Cackles.

She glanced over at the startled and slightly terrified teachers. Amelia smiled at them reassuringly, " May I have a word with Miss Hardbroom in private please ?"

That was another advantage to Amelia Cackle, unlike her sister she was a true leader and didn't need trickery or manipulation to control her teachers. A smile and a few kind words went a long way.

As soon as the teachers left, Miss Cackle brought the unmoving potions mistress over to the staff table and sat her down and passed her a cup of tea.

Sitting down herself, Amelia picked up her own cup and re heated it slightly.

For a moment, neither witch spoke before Constance broke the silence.

" Why do I do it, Amelia ? Why do I automatically blame girls like Henrietta and Mildred ?"

" I'm not sure, but I know one thing. With Mildred in the school at the moment, I wouldn't harass Hettie. Mildred suddenly appearing from no where, imitating your ability was startling enough but to suddenly channel your temper…" Amelia shuddered at the end.

Miss Hardbroom also shuddered. Constance Hardbroom had always prided herself and her ability to keep students under control. Discipline needed to be maintained. That was why Amelia always supported her in that duty to the school.

As headmistress, Amelia must uphold her teachers authority.

" Have I always been unfair towards girls like Mildred ?" Hardbroom asked quietly.

Amelia was stunned somewhat by the timid way her duty head had asked that question and needed a moment to think about what to say before she realised that Constance wanted the truth. Her form mistress preferred straight, hard facts. Not deceptions, no feeble excuses.

" I think you were very unyielding towards Mildred, but then again so was I at times. Do you remember that time when Mildred appeared in this very room on top of the table ?"

Constance nodded.

" I realised later that Mildred wasn't responsible, even though she did disturb the peace and damaged property, namely Ethel Hallows' violin. As I went through the whole incident again in my mind I remembered seeing her shock and horror of being in trouble again. I did this before summoning her back to my office."

This time it was her deputy headmistress's turn to be stunned by the news, only for different reasons.

" Then why did you punish her ?"

Amelia ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes tiredly before reopening them, " _Because," _she snapped, emphasising the word, " I was fed up with the same lines from her over and over again, " I'm really sorry, Miss Cackle," I was tired of it, I had the potentially dangerous idea Ethel's father was going to come and make my life even worse. Mildred needed to be shown that common sense needed to prevail. She should've yelled out above the rehearsal Miss Bat was teaching at the time, that would've ensured Mildred wouldn't have fallen to the ground, breaking an expensive musical instrument in the process."

" And getting you in more trouble with Mr Hallow." Constance added realising where her superior was going with this.

" Yes, the Hallows, as you are aware, are a very powerful family but Ethel's father wrote a letter to me before Ethel stepped foot in this school, telling me what Ethel needed to be treated like any other student. I had no problem with that since I treat all girls the same. I brought her in here and showed her the letter. I made it very clear to her that acting superior because of her family would not be tolerated. I told her that if she was to be punished, she would, like all other girls, no exceptions. He later did the same with Sybil a year later and now, Mona, even though those were completely unnecessary in my opinion."

Amelia took a sip of her tea and thought for a moment, " In Mildred's case, you seemed to loathe her from the moment you laid eyes on her and you didn't even know the girl. You blamed her for things other people did, granted she took the punishment without protest because she knew you wouldn't listen to her."

Constance considered the situation, " What do I do ?"

Again, Amelia was thrown off. Usually Constance would never ask for advice.

" If I were you, I'd leave Mildred alone and don't try to make amends just yet. Let her cool off."

Mildred was presently in the guest room she'd been given. Now that the adrenaline had worn off and the anger had faded, somewhat, she was feeling guilty for the way she'd treated Miss Hardbroom.

But the woman needed to be told.

She didn't feel a shred of guilt for the punishment she'd given to Bindweed. The girl had brought in on herself and even Miss Cackle would probably not do anything about it.

But that didn't mean she didn't feel guilty for the way she'd treated her old potions mistress.

Or did she ?

Mildred would be lying if someone asked her whether or not she hated the woman, she didn't hate Miss Hardbroom but the woman was so set in her ways and so inflexible.

When Mildred had first met her, she'd thought the woman arrogant and resentful that a girl from a non magical family was suddenly attending Cackle's.

It wasn't even her idea to be a witch and she surely didn't even know she was magical, not even those strange things that had happened when she was growing up.

Her mother had told her she was special but Mildred hadn't expected to be THAT special. She hadn't seen herself as a witch flying on a broomstick or casting spells.

There was a knock on the door.

Mildred sat up, thinking it was either Cackle or Hardbroom. She didn't want to see anyone, least of all those two. If it was them she'd tell them to leave her alone.

As she moved to the door and opened it she saw neither woman was standing outside her room.

It was Mona Hallow.

The redhead girl looked at her uneasily and for a moment both witches stared at one another until Mildred moved aside and let the younger witch in.

" What was it you wanted to talk to me about Mona ?"

Mona sat on the chair, wringing her hands.

" I just wanted to talk to you." Mona sighed and got straight to the point, " Ever since you came here, you've spoken to Hettie and Cressie but with me, it's almost like you…are nervous around me."

" The incident in the potions lab made me decide to try and talk with you."

Mildred looked at the girl slightly stunned. Mona reminded her of Sybil in some ways - she wasn't the arrogant snob that Mildred and her friends had had to put up with for 4 years. Realising she'd placed Mona in the same bracket as she did to Sybil Mildred walked over to her and sat next to her.

" Mona, I have a lot of history with your family. Not all of it was good. When I met Ethel, she made this speech about how important she was because of her family. Then I accidentally flicked a tree branch into her face making her fall to the ground and that's when our feud started. Then I met your other sister. When I greeted Sybil, she burst into tears, screaming about the dungeons. Later on, I found my room and my friend's rooms had been ransacked and some very personal things had been stolen. A note left sent us to your sisters where we found out Sybil was Ethel's sister."

Mildred took a deep breath, " I discovered later that Ethel had been spreading lies about me and my friends and Sybil believed them. I was disgusted that Ethel wouldn't grow up and get a life and leave us alone. Worse, she was being so petty. I know you and your sister have great intellects, but there were times that Ethel was too petty for her own good."

Mona listened as Mildred went on and realised that Mildred had good reasons for her standoffish attitude with her. She cursed Ethel in her mind.

Mildred carried on, " I'm sorry I've been a bit…..funny with you. But its not personal, its just that Ethel makes impressions a bit…sour."

Mona looked at her, " I don't treat Hettie like that,"

" I know and although I'm glad you're friends with her, I just wish your sister had grown up. You strike me as being a lovely person, you don't have her snobbish attitude, you don't order people around, you don't expect special treatment. You expect the teachers to treat you like any other."

Mildred looked down. " I'm sorry Mona, I really am."

Mona looked like she was contemplating something, then, on an impulse, she wrapped Mildred in a hug.

" It's ok."

Miss Hardbroom was sitting in the potions lab, ignoring the still working Belladonna. The blond had tried to protest until the teacher threatened to put her in detention for the rest of her time at Cackle's.

Now the impudent girl was grumbling under her breath, but Miss Hardbroom had other concerns.

The conversation with Amelia was still inside her head and wasn't going to go away. Ever since Mildred had left Cackle's, Constance had been saddened. In the past the thought of Mildred being expelled would've filled her with joy, joy that an annoyance was gone.

Constance had watched as Mildred transformed over the years spent at Cackle's from a slip of a girl who couldn't fly a broom to save her own life, a girl frightened of magic.

Later, she transformed into a girl who flourished in magic, surpassing even Ethel Hallow.

The time Mildred spent as Head girl helped, that particular year was one where Mildred had truly changed. she'd mastered magics that she had never shown much aptitude for - appearing from nowhere, for instance. The memory of that time Mildred had appeared in front of Ethel Hallow was still a shock.

Ethel had been plotting to make Mildred's time at Cackle's as the new head girl and even spouted out some of her plans which made Miss Cackle and herself sick. The sheer maliciousness of what Ethel was suggesting, even Drusilla, who'd mellowed and matured a little bit the last year, had been disgusted.

Ethel later insulted Mildred's family. That alone was enough to make Miss Hardbroom think that maybe she didn't know Ethel.

Miss Cackle had later reminded her that this was the other candidate for head girl, when that was mentioned Miss Drill and Miss Crotchet had been truly disgusted. Both teachers had a soft spot for Mildred, especially Miss Cackle.

But for Miss Hardbroom it was worse.

Miss Hardbroom had been all set to make sure Ethel was severely punished, but then she received another shock, only one she truly hadn't expected.

Mildred had appeared, only she was very angry, not as angry as she'd been today but it was anger nonetheless, she made sure that Ethel was forced to endure the most filthiest punishments imaginable. For a month.

Ethel, rather arrogantly, told Miss Hardbroom that she'd only been joking, now usually Constance would've forgiven and forgotten the reason but in this case…

She'd stood by Mildred and Ethel had thrown a temper tantrum..

As the year progressed Mildred showed a lot of brilliance, both as head girl and as a student, outshining everyone by a wide margin.

In the past, Mildred had tripped over the many hurdles that many witches passed over with little effort, but since the discovery of her talent in art and animating drawings it was like someone had broken down the barriers that inhibited Mildred's abilities to learn.

Potions was, more or less, a breeze, even though it was still her weak spot but at least she'd improved.

Spells, were a lot better, around Bs and occasional As.

Chanting, not too bad.

PE, adequate.

Her duties as head girl also made her a lot more confident than she'd been in the past and Constance knew that Mildred was stunned by the support she'd gotten from her terrifying form mistress. The ideas Mildred and Jadu presented were clearly well thought out, the two girls had spent a lot of time debating the various things Cackle's needed the most.

Miss Hardbroom wished, just wished, she could turn back the clock.

She only prayed it wasn't too late to make amends.


	7. Chapter 7

**A Matter of Time.**

For the next week, Mildred went out of her way to avoid Miss Hardbroom, much to the teachers sadness. The teachers, Miss Swoop for instance, tried to make Mildred see some sense, but Mildred wasn't having it.

Miss Cackle for the most part was strictly neutral and wasn't taking any sides, for which Mildred was eternally grateful. But then that was to be expected, Miss Cackle was seen as a firm woman but she allowed her teachers to punish students when they felt it was needed, but she would intervene if needed.

Besides, Mildred had enough to do in order to pass the time.

With her pseudo Head girl status, Mildred was allowed carte blanche throughout the school, she was allowed to sit in class and do whatever she liked but she tended to help students when needed.

Most of the time she spent was in the newly refurbished library - instead of the dark, narrow room, it was now a vibrant room which allowed the sun to come in.

The changes to Cackle's still surprised her, many of the rooms had changed around, some new subjects instead of the old, but the pain that Mildred felt that Frank Blossom and Mrs Tapioca was still in her heart. She missed going down to the dungeons where the loving Italian woman slaved to make food that went cold after 4 seconds.

Mildred had made friends with Caspian, the wizard in charge of the library, he was helping her research the time portal spells and their theories.

By now, Mildred was absolutely desperate to leave this time. Even the time she spent with Hettie was becoming tedious.

Hettie on the other hand had noticed the short fuse her cousin had at the moment and she was very worried about it.

Miss Cackle noticed her mood during spells and asked for her to stay behind.

" Now Hettie, what seems to the matter ?" Cackle had her hands folded, her face one of supreme patience.

Hettie had no idea what her headmistress was talking about, " I don't understand, Miss Cackle."

" You seemed, distracted during spells Hettie. It wouldn't happen to do with another Hubble of our acquaintance would it ?"

Henrietta sighed, " I'm worried about her, she's more impatient, more irritable. She wont talk to anyone and she spends a lot of time in the library with Caspian researching the time portal spells. Mildred is desperate to leave."

" My dear girl, do you really think I'm trying to keep her here ?" Miss Cackle answered with astonishment, " I can't send her back through the portal, not until the original spell's repair is complete."

" But, can't anything be done to…" Hettie asked before she was interrupted.

" No, the spell is still trying to repair the damage. If I try to send her back now, heaven alone knows what'll happen. It could mean that Mildred would…suffer." Miss Cackle said the last part cautiously.

At Hettie's look, Cackle explained that even though Mildred was alive and well at this time and 21, she could easily be erased from history.

" Many witches and wizards have messed with time Hettie, that's one of the reasons behind the prohibition of using the spells without a special permit. Teaching it is one thing, using it is another."

Henrietta looked down then looked up, " What do I do about Mildred ?"

" Miss Hardbroom asked the same," Amelia smiled at the girls looks of shock, " Yes, Mildred had every reason to be angry with Constance and she's been provoked once to often. Miss Hardbroom honestly wants to make amends but I told her to let Mildred cool down."

" That's probably wise, Cousin Millie does go a little too far when she's angry.

In the library, Mildred was looking through dozens of books, amazed by the fact the school had finally started using books that were now in the shops - witch shops that is.

She rubbed her eyes and then jumped.

Looking down she saw a black cat. Gently she picked the animal up, wondering idly who the cat belonged to. Mildred took a good look at it and noticed that it was a full adult cat so it didn't belong to one of the girls, the collar read " Mildred," and the other lettering said, " If lost, please return to Miss Constance Hardbroom," it gave 2 addresses, 1 for Cackle's itself and the other for the place HB lived.

Mildred looked at the cat again, she couldn't believe it. Why would Miss Hardbroom of all people, have a cat named after a student she'd tried to expel on countless occasions ?

Shrugging, not caring about the rationale behind the name, Mildred hugged her four legged namesake. It had been so long since she'd held a cat. Tabby, she prayed he was ok and still alive, in this time, was still in her time.

Smirking as she thought about the dog her cousin owned, Mildred chuckled, the sound ringing in her own ears. She'd been in such a bad mood recently she'd virtually forgotten about what it felt like to be happy.

Mildred had shaken her head when she'd seen Kitty, her cousins dog. Only a Hubble…..

She grinned as she remembered the story behind Kitty - how Hettie had claimed that instead of a cat, she'd rather have a dog, how Belladonna had changed a real dog into a cat and later on how Hettie had made the joke backfire on Belladonna by keeping him.

A/N What do you think ?


	8. Chapter 8

**Conversations.**

" You've found her."

Mildred looked up from stroking her feline namesake and looked into the face of her former form tutor. Miss Hardbroom wasn't looking as confidant as she normally did which surprise the younger woman. Miss Hardbroom only looked unconfident when her former tutor was around, but when Broomhead wasn't Hardbroom was capable, willing and powerful.

But now….

She looked apprehensive, scared slightly.

Mildred nodded, not trusting herself to speak, but her natural curiosity couldn't help it.

" Since when did you have a cat called Mildred ?"

Miss Hardbroom had just picked up the cat when her former student asked that question. A smile, hesitant and tentative, crossed her usually scowling features.

She sat down, keeping her eyes on Mildred - both of them.

" Two reasons - first, I couldn't really call my new cat Morganna, too many good memories of the original. I'd constantly compare the old Morganna with the new one and that's not fair."

Mildred raised an eyebrow at that. She could see the ironic hypocritical nature of that philosophy but she didn't tell Miss Hardbroom that. She had the feeling that the older woman was slightly aware of that anyway. It was a pity that Miss Hardbroom was unable to move beyond petty little insults to Hettie and couldn't see Belladonna wasn't Ethel.

Miss Hardbroom had seen Mildred raise her eyebrow when she said that, she too was aware of the hypocrisy of her comment but she decided not to let Mildred know that.

" Second reason, I wanted a reminder of you."

That caused Mildred to gawk at her, " Oh, don't gawk like that, Mildred. I keep telling you that you look like a goldfish when you do that."

Mildred closed her mouth, her face now a frowning curiosity.

" Me, you wanted a reminder of me ? I thought you hated me !"

Miss Hardbroom sat down, her face one of tearful misery. Ignoring Caspian's frown, she said, " I didn't hate you Mildred, I actually adored you. I still do."

" You had a funny way of showing it." Mildred retorted, anger starting to burn within her chest.

Miss Hardbroom sighed, this was going to be hard to explain, " Do you really believe that ? Mildred, do you remember the time you made that laughing potion into an invisibility potion ?"

Mildred nodded wondering where she was going with this.

" I knew that making an invisibility potion out of laughing potion was child's play. It was a test within a test, I wanted someone to reveal that making one potion can easily make another. It's remarkably simple."

" But why didn't you say so, why did you not say that you wanted a potion made out of an unrelated potion ?"

Miss Hardbroom smiled, " Which was the purpose of the next lesson, take the first potion and add a few different ingredients then you get a different potion."

Mildred was intrigued but it still didn't make a shred of sense in her book, " Why were you angry ?"

" On the contrary, I was proud, but I wasn't expecting a girl to actually do it ahead of schedule."

Mildred was persistent, " I remember, you sent me to Miss Cackle's office."

" Because you'd done it ahead of schedule."

" It doesn't make sense."

" Oh, it does," Miss Hardbroom said patiently. " I wanted to show how easy it was to make one potion out of another with few ingredients, you made a mistake and created the potion I wanted to demonstrate the next lesson. Unfortunately, Miss Cackle wasn't aware of my plans until afterwards and if…"

" If you had then she couldn't give me that damn title." Mildred finished with a hint of disgust with a hint of anger Miss Hardbroom picked up upon.

The Worst witch title had been a curse for Millie for years, no matter what she did she would always be thought of as the worst witch and now her own cousin had it.

Miss Hardbroom wished she could open a portal and tell Miss Cackle not to talk to Mildred like that and tell her that the title of Worst witch was the worst thing she'd ever done.

Constance held her cat closer to her chest, staring at Mildred for a long moment.

" I honestly was proud of you that day, Mildred, but I couldn't show it. I didn't continue with the plan because, well, I decided that something new should be made. That's why the next lesson was a theory, not practical."

Mildred was startled by the information she was getting, but it did make sense.

" Why did you never try to…" she fought to find the words, " Why did you never try to encourage me instead of continuously trying to get me expelled ?"

Miss Hardbroom looked down at her cat, before looking back up.

" Mildred, have you never asked yourself why I - I lack confidence in the presence of Heckitty Broomhead ?"

Confidence wasn't the word she'd normally aim at, but this was the closest she could get.

Mildred nodded, confused at the apparent change of subject.

Constance sighed, normally she would keep such things hidden. Her experiences as student under Broomhead were so horrifying she wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy. Mildred had been far from a perfect student, but even Constance would never sink to those levels.

" Mistress Broomhead was my personal tutor, Mildred, at Witch training college. She, more or less, taught me everything I know. But, unfortunately, she was a witch of the old school. That means that the methods she employs are….barbaric," she said, hoping Mildred caught the hint.

" Barbaric ? How d'you mean ?" Mildred remembered in history classes, the way teachers beat students. Did the same apply in the magical world ? It would be exactly like Broomhead.

Constance sighed, hoping she wouldn't frighten the girl. Mildred was incredibly sensitive, she would feel sympathy for anybody even Ethel. Well, to a point.

" In the old times, school was terrifying. You think I'm terrifying, you should see the way history records witch teaching. Potions experiments were sabotaged by the teachers, who also encouraged students to inflict serious psychological harm on others. Teachers themselves were worse than I could ever be, broomstick flying was lethal, the teachers would sometimes vanish the brooms just to get things moving."

Mildred was starting to understand, " With the witch in the air, I suppose ?" At her teachers nod, her face twisted with anger, " That's not just barbaric…that's …that's evil !"

Constance nodded, " Broomhead is one of the few supporters that believe magic teaching should be like that. When I say few, I mean few. Even the Hallow's grandmother, who was taught in a more diluted manner to the old ways, despises the idea. That's one of the reasons behind the Hallows always coming here, to Cackles. But at home, the Hallows, along with some other families, practice teaching in a similar fashion."

Mildred wondered why, when she realised that the Hallows had been magical for centuries, of course they would stay traditional. It would explain so much, like why Ethel was such an arrogant bitch and why Sybil had been such a weakling.

Miss Hardbroom could see where Mildred's train of thought was going, and nodded. " Now you're starting to understand. Good, but Mildred, you shouldn't judge families that harshly. Even the Hallows have more care."

Mildred got back on the original subject, " That still doesn't answer the question, why did you treat me like….like I was a dog turd ?"

" Because it was the only way I knew how to treat you, to make you come into your potential. I always knew you were talented. Granted, I made it sound like you weren't, but I could see it. Mildred, do you have any concept of how talented you are ?"

" We've been over that, I can draw, I can appear out of nowhere. Yadda yadda, old history," Mildred waved her hand impatiently.

She was stopped by Constance's look of stunned shock, " Is that how you see youself ? Girl, you honestly don't understand. You managed to learn an art that took me 3 years to learn properly. 3 years. Heavens, it took Broomhead over 5 ! You learned it over a month !"

Mildred looked down, even she wasn't one hundred percent sure how she'd learnt that technique. It just….came to her.

She hadn't really bee trying to impress anybody. It just happened, like a lot of other things that happened with her over the years she'd been a witch.

Miss Hardbroom stroked her cat as she watched Mildred's almost sheepish expression, " What's wrong ?"

Mildred jumped, " What ?"

" What's wrong ? Your face looks like its on a journey of discovery."

Mildred sighed, " Do you want to know how I learnt your ability to appear from nowhere so quickly ?"

Miss Hardbroom frowned.

Mildred sighed again, " I was practicing magic at home, when I wished to have a drink of lemonade, it was a hot day and I was thirsty. I willed myself downstairs, similar to the way you willed us and the whole potions class to the great hall. But I didn't do it deliberately, I just willed for it. I practiced it during summer to the point where I felt it was perfect, but I didn't have either you nor Broomhead teaching me, which I can say is a relief."

Hardbroom didn't blame her.

Mildred carried on, " I started to work on my powers, working on spells, trying to make them perfect." She looked down at the book on her desk.

" I think, when I came here, I was afraid of magic. It makes sense, at least to me, if you're afraid of a horse, it responds by bucking you off."

Constance hadn't thought of that before and she did admit, that Mildred had an excellent analogy for the reason she'd had problems with practicing magic at Cackles.

The two women carried on talking for the best part of an hour, when they left.

It wasn't exactly a truce, but it was enough.

A/N Please leave a review. I'm sorry it took so long to update.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry I haven't updates sooner, I've been so busy recently. That's my only excuse. **

**Agatha returns.**

Miss Hardbroom knew that she hated rats. She **hated** them ! They were filth, their twitching noses, the way they lived in sewers….yes, she hated them a lot.

Now, she was a rat. Transformed by magic by Agatha Cackle, a witch Constance had hoped never to see again after that mess during Mildred's last year. Now, she was heading for the one witch that would and could help after meeting Henrietta in the dungeons.

Flashback.

" Hold on, maybe its not a rat. Maybe its Miss Hardbroom," Hubble no, _Hettie, _said ; if she was going to mend the rift between her and Mildred the least she could do was learn to respect her equally exasperating cousin.

Mona held her fingers out and chanted the incantation to reverse the spell Agatha had placed on her. It didn't work, then again Constance wasn't surprised. It was a nice thought, but then again Constance had had her doubts the spell would even work.

Hettie didn't sound surprised, rather resigned, " Its bad witch magic, too hard to reverse. We need the golden broomstick."

Hettie smirked that smug little happy smirk; another contrast between her and Mildred, " Besides, I think she's more use to us as a rat."

Constance resented that remark. Hettie came over to her and picked her up. Constance had known that Mildred was excellent with animals, the way she treated them before she received Tabby told her that animals meant a great deal to her.

It seemed Hettie was also gifted. She picked her teacher up with care and held her gently but firmly.

" Okay Miss Hardbroom, this is what I want you to do….." she whispered in Constance's rat ears her plan…

Flashback ends.

Despite her hating rodents, Miss Hardbroom had to admit that getting around the school was easy than she'd expected. She could see Belladonna walking with her grandmother and Agatha - oh when this was over….

She was just about to turn a corridor when she came across someone. It wasn't a pupil, or a teacher.

It was Mildred. She was dressed in her uniform. Looking at her face, Constance could see that her old student was trying to be quiet, even slipping off her infamous untied boots - why the girl never did them up was a mystery.

She looked at Constance with confusion that changed to realisation. She bent down carefully so as not to startle Miss Hardbroom and equally carefully, picked her up.

Mildred smiled and left to the nearest room, which was empty.

Mildred sat on top of the bed in, conveniently enough, her cousins room. Kitty the dog came over, wagging his tail.

Displaying her usual loving nature with animals, Mildred reached over and petted him, " Hi Kitty, could you keep quiet for me. Please." she whispered in a low voice.

The dog wagged his tail.

" Right," Mildred said, getting up and getting a sheet of paper with some ink. " I want you to use your paw very carefully. But first I need to tell you, I was in the great hall. I followed Agatha inside and watched as she petrified Miss Cackle and the others, then turned you into a rat."

" You're probably wondering why I didn't do something, Agatha doesn't know I'm here, unless that little bitch told her." Millie's face hardened, before returning to its original openness.

" It wouldn't have done any good. Besides, I wanted to see what weakness I could use to fight her again." Mildred finished explaining.

Constance thought it through and saw a certain logic, if Mildred had interfered then Agatha's punishment wouldn't have been as light as it had been with hers. Agatha hated Mildred with a passion, Constance remembered only too well when the evil Cackle had infiltrated the school for the second time, how she'd impersonated the headmistress.

Miss Hardbroom remembered how Agatha had dragged Mildred out of the classroom by the girl's ear, Mildred's screams and pleas had fallen on deaf ears, but later on it was shown to be deliberate.

Mildred held the teacher turned rat up so she could look straight into her eyes, " Miss Hardbroom, I know what Agatha intends to do. She intends to use the golden broomstick to open a portal in the cabinet and let all the evil witches into every single magical school."

Constance's eyes almost popped - strange look for a rat, but as she thought about it, it made some sense. The magical cabinets were a safer, quicker way to travel than using brooms. Every single magical school had one, the only weakness in the defences of the schools.

If evil witches were to get in, they would eradicate the teachers and use their magic to twist the minds of the students into insane young people, concerned only with power and destruction.

Mildred leaned forward, " Here's my idea….."

She whispered her plans into Constance's ear…..

Agatha Cackle looked at the cabinet in the centre of the room, Betty and Belladonna were shifting it into the room. It hadn't taken as long as she'd expected to gain access to it, and move it to the great hall - the one room of the whole academy which had the size necessary to flood the castle with her associates.

Originally, Agatha had intended to simply control one school, the school her ancestor had created, the one she felt should've been hers by right. Agatha and Amelia looked alike physically - well, they would, they were twins - but they were opposites.

Agatha was controlling, harsh, manipulative, whilst her sister was…weak and compassionate. She was soft, willing to let others walk all over her.

Not Agatha.

She wanted to be the one in control, she'd make the rules and make sure that everyone adhered and obeyed them, whether they liked it or not. Agatha had tried to manipulate Granny Cackle, trying to make her elder relative give the castle, the symbol of the family and their way of contributing to Magical society for generations, to her.

Instead, the old hag gave the school to her sister. Amelia always had everything, it wasn't fair !

Agatha narrowed her eyes as she recalled the times she'd tried to take over the school. 3 times. 3 failures. Laid down, not at her sisters door, but at a girl.

A girl who came from a non magical background. It was insulting, especially since the girl had been a bumbling clod.

Mildred Hubble.

Agatha clenched her teeth as she remembered the girl, her irritating pig tails, her sweet nature, her indomitable loyalty to Amelia.

She remembered the second time that she'd tried to take over the school, not only had she gotten one up on Amelia but she was also able to make the brat pay for what she'd done. It had been so close, so close !

Agatha realised later as well as now that she shouldn't have moved too quickly, her actions had raised suspicions and that led to Mildred, her friends and Amelia defeating her. It had been her actions concerning Mildred which had been instrumental in her downfall, she could've been much more subtle but she hadn't.

Agatha realised later that if the invasion had occurred when Mildred and the rest of the castle had been relaxed and unsuspicious then the plan would've succeeded, but she of course knew that attempting it again wasn't an option.

The third time, that tactic didn't work as well as she'd hoped; Mildred had been patrolling the corridors of the castle that night. She'd been hiding in the castle, stealing food and water, but that didn't mean that she wasn't used to living in a dank, dark, stinking dungeon. She'd sneaked out, late at night, and bumped into Mildred by accident.

The two Witches exchanged spells, curses, it was an incredulous Agatha who found herself facing a sheet of paper. Without warning she was sucked into the paper and became a drawing.

Agatha would never forget the time spent as a drawing, aware but unable to act. She'd sworn to make Hubble pay for that. Hubble…..

Agatha remembered Belladonna saying that the girl in the hall, the one who'd stood up to her, was called Hubble. Could it mean that both girls were related, or was it some sick coincidence ?

" Belladonna, darling. Come here," Agatha ordered the young blonde.

Belladonna came over at once, a simpering smirk on her smug features, " Yes.

" That girl, the one with the twin ponytails. You said her name was Hubble ?" Agatha asked, but Belladonna could hear the underlining hatred of the name, she felt it as well. But she didn't connect the dots, if she had she would've said instantly.

" Yes, that's right. Henrietta Hubble, she's Hubble bubble's cousin." Belladonna said, without realising that she'd confirmed a growing suspicion in Agatha's mind.

Belladonna had said that casually, but Agatha wasn't older and more knowledgeable in magic for nothing.

She'd picked up on the nickname at once, " Hubble bubble ? You mean you know Mildred Hubble ?"

Not even Belladonna could mistake the loathing and fear in her new boss's voice, " Yes, didn't you know ?"

" Know what ?" Agatha spat impatiently, wondering why the stupid child wouldn't get to the point.

" That Mildred Hubble is here, she jumped through time."

Agatha stood stock still as she felt her confidence leave her like a pricked balloon. All these years, 3 of them as a drawing, the castle's barriers stopping her from gaining entry, having to fight her way to the top…all threatened by that slip of a girl. Again. She'd hoped never to see that wretched meddler again.

" Agatha, what're going to do ?" Betty asked. She'd overheard the last part of the conversation and was as surprised and angered by Mildred's presence in the castle.

Agatha was silent, then a plan started forming, concocted by her evil little mind.

A smile spread across her face, " We hit her where it hurts."

" Cousin Millie," Hettie squealed. Mildred smiled shyly.

" Hi, Hets. Stand back," holding Miss hardbroom carefully in her arms, Mildred found the key and unlocked it as carefully as possible, she had no idea if Agatha was roaming around but she wasn't going to take the chance.

As soon as the door opened, Hettie hugged her cousin, nearly squashing her form tutor in turn.

Jumping back she told Mildred about the teachers.

" Yeah, I know. Luckily I know a way of bringing them back," here she faced Dyllis, who looked startled.

" Me ?" The younger girl squeaked.

" Yeah, Dyllis, you made that project. Surely it would work on those teachers ?" Mona piped up.

Mildred looked at her cousin oddly, " What project ?"

Dylis was eager to explain, " My end of year project, a potion that can bring people. It brings things back to life, using food."

Mildred could see the plan forming in everyone's mind, " Which we can get from the kitchens."

The kitchens, Mildred remembered from her time at Cackles had been a place where the food was rotten, but it wasn't the past cooks fault. It had been because it had been brought up from the dungeons and it cooled down so when it got to the students it was as cold as ice.

Nowadays, the cook was someone who thought experimentation with different sorts of food was adventurous. Unfortunately it wasn't to the unfortunate stomachs of the pupils.

Mildred had almost gagged when she'd tried the sprout and apple crumble. She'd honestly thought that liver floating around in cold, greasy, fatty gravy had been disgusting and it made her yearn for Mrs Tapioca.

Mildred watched as the girls made the potion using the foods in the room, she was standing by the door keeping an eye out. Just as they'd finished, they heard a loud bellow that reverberated around the school.

" HUBBLE !"

Mildred turned to face the girls, " She knows you've gotten out of the dungeon. Hang on, " she turned to Hettie, " You didn't tell her your name did you ?"

" No," Hettie said, thinking back, " Belladonna did though."

Mildred leant against the doorframe, " I don't understand why she didn't make the connection, we do look alike in many ways."

Mona frowned, " You think she knows that Hettie's your cousin ?"

Mildred's eyes focused on her suddenly nervous cousin, " Agatha Cackle is sharp. She's also relentless. I should know, I fought her off 3 times. The second time she took her anger of her first defeat out on me. I was dragged to my room by the ear."

She gazed at Mona, " I think she made the connection. It wouldn't surprise me if that bitch Belladonna told Agatha I was here."

" Why would Agatha go to the dungeons ?"

Mildred couldn't believe the stupidity of the question, " Agatha wants revenge. She's a petty person by nature. Her grandmother gave the school to Amelia instead of her and Agatha never forgave her for that. I defeated her by luck and by accident, but it certainly didn't matter to her."

She looked at Hettie again, " I think she intended to make me pay by making you suffer."

Mildred looked around the room, trying to find inspiration. She found it in a corner of the room. It was a portrait of a piece of cheese, with an apple along with a cutting board, complete with a knife. A bottle of wine finished the picture.

" By the way," she asked looking at the girls, " Does anyone have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil handy ?"

Agatha was in a rage. One of the foaming at the mouth kinds. She couldn't believe this, that wretched girl had taken her cousin and her bratty friends out of the dungeon.

She'd imagined all sorts of ways of making Mildred suffer over the years, but she'd watched as the girl, now in her twenties, had won awards and had become one of the pioneering witches of the present day.

" Find her, find THEM !" Agatha spat, pacing around the hall like a tiger. Betty and Belladonna were about to follow the order, when they heard a voice.

" Hello Agatha,"

The three witches swung round. Mildred was leaning casually against the doorway. Agatha's eyes narrowed as she took in the girl.

Mildred let loose a smirk on her face, " I've been standing here for a minute, not very alert are you ?" She cooed at Betty and Belladonna, both witches appearing more identical in their equally stupefied stares.

Mildred turned her attention away from the gormless duo, turning her attention back at Agatha. She shook her head,

" Why do you bother Agatha ? Why can't you get over this pathetic little vendetta you've got going with your sister ?"

Agatha didn't answer, hatred warping her face. Mildred felt it disconcerting, if she hadn't known better she could safely say this was Amelia Cackle looking at her.

Mildred looked at the Golden broomstick in Agatha's curled, angry fists, shaking her head again, disdain on her face and colouring her next words.

" You've been hiding too long, it's become a nasty little habit with you."

Agatha finally spoke, her voice biting and poisonous, " What do you mean ?"

Mildred gestured towards the broomstick, " That. You couldn't deal with the school and the staff with normal magic, you hide in the forest, you use a cabinet to get into the place. It's like the first and second time isn't it ? You were planning on using invisibility potion the first time, the next you kidnapped your sister and took her place. Why can't you face facts ?" Mildred let the question hang.

Agatha sneered, " What facts, you little bitch ?"

Mildred wasn't affected or concerned that she was about to taunt a very dangerous witch, " You're a coward."

Agatha's rage exploded, she raised the broomstick she was holding and prepared to destroy this little whore off the face of the planet and out of her misery. But before she could, Mildred stopped her.

" You see, " she said, gesturing like a TV presenter towards the two Bindweeds, " You boast of being this powerful, all seeing witch, but you still hide behind invisibility potions and your sisters glasses. Now, you're hiding behind the golden broomstick."

Mildred gave Agatha the most challenging stare she could muster. She wasn't going to admit it, but she was nervous.

" Why not a witch to witch fight ? No broomsticks, no staffs. Just normal magic."

Agatha jeered, " I'll take you apart."

Mildred jumped in, " Why not simply take your time ? Come on Agatha."

She held out her arms invitingly, " What cha got, huh ?"

Mildred found out quickly, as she had to dodge a curse Agatha sent. Mildred retaliated by sending 2 curses of her own. Agatha dispelled them quickly. She handed Belladonna the broomstick she was holding, " Do nothing, this little bitch is mine."

Belladonna nodded in anticipation.

Agatha got into the fight, relishing every second. She was about to repay this girl the pain and humiliation she'd faced since the first time she'd been taken down by a mere schoolgirl.

But Mildred wasn't stupid, she hadn't spent that last summer doing nothing. She'd studied hard, learnt as many spells, curses and potions as possible. It had been time to put the Worst witch out, bringing a successful witch into the spring.

Her last year at Cackle's was spent in pretty much the same way, her studying and learning. Not goofing off, but still having enough time with her friends.

Mildred and Agatha exchanged curses at the same time, both deflected and hitting the sides of the hall, one even hitting old Betty in the arm.

Betty almost retaliated, but she held back. Unlike her granddaughter she knew better than to disobey Agatha's orders.

Agatha was starting to tire. It had been a long time since she'd even entered a battle like this, her magic was also taking its toll. She was only sending small grade curses at Mildred. Agatha was starting to think she'd overestimated her chances of winning this particular fight. When she'd first started she'd been convinced that Mildred wouldn't have been able to deal with the more powerful spells and enchantments thrown at her.

But once again, Agatha had to accept the inevitable.

She'd underestimated Mildred Hubble again.

Too her credit, Mildred felt she was doing really well. It wasn't everyday she got into witch on witch fights, but with the likes of Ethel Hallow around, asking for confrontations, Mildred's technique had improved. She'd even learnt the art of improvisation, using her surroundings as weapons.

Mildred didn't hesitate, she magically levitated the chairs and shields around the room, hurling them at Agatha, who banished them away, only to be hit by the curse that followed behind the catapulted furniture. Agatha, she could see, was starting to tire.

Agatha decided to mimic the tactic Mildred had used, she sure knew how to be a copycat, showing Mildred and to the two onlookers that Agatha had no sense of originality whatsoever. Mildred used puffification to get rid of the chair thrown at her.

Agatha screamed in rage, remembering only too well the time she and her cohorts had been banished from the castle by the same trick. Mildred smirked, remembering it too well.

Agatha took the tactics a little further, " Wait till I find your cousin Mildred, the little brat will be begging for me to kill her when I'm finished with her."

Mildred felt rage surge through her, but she held it down, it was an obvious way to get her to stumble around. If she did then Hettie would die. Mildred wasn't letting her beloved cousin die, not like that.

Mildred threw a series of curses directly towards Agatha, followed closely by another one. Agatha had just batted away the curses before she saw a shimmering blue ball coming towards her.

Agatha watched it, preparing to dispel it, when it shimmered, becoming more solid. It resembled….no, Agatha's mind stalled. Not that one.

She brought up her hands to stop it with the necessary counter curse, but it was far too late. The ball exploded, about a metre away from Agatha. It caught the evil witch and her cohorts with very sharp pieces of glass. Mildred watched in satisfaction as Agatha received multiple cuts, over her face and over her body. The shards tore the woman's clothes, but not killing her.

The exploding glass ball was one of the most vicious weapons any witch or wizard could use. It was extremely tricky to dispel in a duel, the cuts were magical and would remain there for a longer period of time than a normal cut.

Mildred had found the book detailing the use of the curse in the library and simply memorised the curse. It may come in handy and she was pleased that she'd been right, the fact it was Agatha Cackle that she'd used it on made it all the more sweeter for her.

Agatha looked at her young nemesis with hatred, " Where did you learn that ?"

Mildred smiled at her, " You'd be surprised," She said, not wanting Belladonna to know that the spell was only a short distance away. Hettie may receive a few nasty cuts from such a spell, maybe worse. There was a reason that spell was considered dangerous.

Agatha looked at the girl. The use of the glass ball curse had been a surprise move, but Agatha was more than aware of the curse. Wanted to teach it to the brats in this school in fact. There was so much damage many a curse could do, it was incredibly rare for one to be used for harm and also to destroy.

That Mildred Hubble, one of the most good witches she'd ever met to use such a curse, meant that everyone had underestimated her. Agatha knew that it was because of her fact she'd provoked its use when she'd threatened the bitch's cousin.

Agatha could see she was beaten, so she turned to the cabinet. When she did, her eyes widened in horror.

The cabinet was encased in a block of ice.

Agatha swung round angrily towards Mildred, who serenely watched and withdrew a piece of folded paper. When she unfolded it, Agatha realised it had been a part of Mildred's plan.

The cabinet in the picture was there, surrounded by ice. She didn't notice Betty throw a ball of fire at the ice, nor did she have to turn around to see the result, Betty's shriek of rage told the story.

Agatha did turn around, however, when Belladonna let out a scream of her own. Agatha couldn't help but wonder why her young follower was screaming, that is until she saw the white rat. Belladonna released the golden broomstick at once, just as Agatha threw a curse at the rat who just happened to be Miss Hardbroom.

Mildred got to the broomstick just in time, she cast the reversal charm at the rat. The rat turned into Miss Hardbroom into a heartbeat, her hands prepared to cast her own spells.

But Mildred got there first.

She decided to render the three witches as helpless as the staff had been.

When the staff got to the hall, they found Mildred and Miss Hardbroom laughing and hugging. _Hugging ? _But the surprises didn't stop coming.

The cabinet was still in its block of ice, but in front of it were three mannequins. One of them was a mirror image of Belladonna, only with a finished plastic look that could only come from a doll.

Another one, this time in absurd pink, was Betty Bindweed.

The last one was the gaudily robed figure of Agatha Cackle.

A/N Sorry it's so late, I wanted to make the Agatha chapter into one long one. I apologise for the wait, but I think it was worth it, don't you ?


	10. Chapter 10

**My last chapter. Thanks for reading. **

**Leaving. **

It had been 4 days since Agatha and her cronies were defeated, their dummy forms were thrown into the river and swept out to sea. Mildred and Miss Hardbroom had celebrated, then Mildred had decided to give them back their mobility.

Agatha and Betty, swept out to sea, were shrieking murder, soaking wet and they were unable to do anything about it.

Belladonna, well, she stayed a dummy for 3 days before Mildred reversed the spell. To be honest, Mildred was hoping that she could stay that way, she was much more attractive. Everyone agreed, even Miss Cackle, but the headmistress insisted.

Mildred had taken the blond by the arm, leading her away, but everyone heard her. Everyone in the school, teachers and students alike, heard her. Heard her and shuddered.

" If I ever see you again, after I leave, I will personally hex you so badly that your children will feel the effects." Mildred had told her, in her most terrifying voice.

Belladonna, already more than cowed, from being turned into a dummy and helping Agatha, kept her distance. Mildred and Hettie knew that it wouldn't last. Belladonna was persistent, she'd fall back to her old ways soon enough, probably when Mildred went home.

Miss Hardbroom sat in her office, a cup of tea sitting nearby although it was now probably as cold as ice. She paused from her marking. Normally the potions mistress would've finished the marking by now, but in truth, her heart just wasn't in it.

Mildred was leaving tonight, and that upset her. It seemed that even when faced with a second chance, Miss Hardbroom couldn't seem to let her pride go.

Oh, she and Mildred had talked, they'd even celebrated Agatha's defeat, it still shocked Constance that she could laugh, smile yes, but laugh ?

She was shaken from her thoughts by a knock on the door, " Come in," she called, wondering who it was.

Hettie Hubble strode in, nervous.

Miss Hardbroom frowned, " Yes Henrietta, is there something I can do for you ?"

Hettie's nerves had been stretched tight on the way here, so she decided to get it out in one burst, " Mildred's leaving tonight. Is it possible for you two to make up before she goes ?"

Anger soared through Miss Hardbroom's bony frame at the presumptuous girl's statement, but she squashed it down inside herself. She didn't really want to lose her temper at Henrietta. It would do no good, Miss Hardbroom didn't especially want Mildred to lose her temper with her again, not like in the potion's lab.

Miss Hardbroom managed to get enough of her self control back, mentally counted to 20 before she responded, " I don't know what you mean, perhaps you may clarify your statement ?"

Henrietta's voice was filled with frustration, " I've seen you look at her, I've never seen you look at anyone with that expression. Never." Henrietta's ponytails moved from side to side as she shook her head.

Miss Hardbroom frowned, annoyance leaving her only with curiosity, " And what expression is that ?" She asked neutrally, feeling something cold settle in her gut.

" Guilt."

The word echoed in Constance's brain, making her lean back against the back of her seat. It took a while for her to make some sort of remark. Constance wondered how to handle this particular issue, knowing that even a glib remark would be seen instantly.

Miss Hardbroom nodded shakily, managing to get some sort of grip on herself, " Henrietta, Hettie," she amended, much to the student's shock at the informal name, " I can safely tell you that I do feel regret and guilt. Mildred did a lot more for me and this school during her time, and I barely said anything about it. All I did was criticise her."

Henrietta nodded, before speaking, " Maybe it's a good thing she's here. You can make amends before you go," looking at the marking her teacher had been doing, unsuccessfully, before her arrival, Hettie said spiritedly, " Stop the marking and say the right thing to her."

Miss Hardbroom sent a look at Hettie, and the student looked abashed. Her next expression reminded her teacher of a goldfish out of water, it was probably because Miss Hardbroom suddenly burst out laughing.

" You're definitely Mildred's cousin. Don't look so shocked," Constance looked like she'd aged a few more decades, sucking lemons as she carried on, " I know I've made many mistakes, passed too many judgements onto Mildred."

The formidable woman's gaze pinned Hettie to the wall. The student felt like a fly. But the gaze softened, " You're right, I should make it up to her."

Mildred was still awake by the time Miss Hardbroom found her. Miss Hardbroom had been looking for her, since it was night the logical place for Mildred would be in her guest room. Then again logic and Mildred Hubble rarely went together. The form teacher found her one time pupil alone on top of the battlements.

Miss Hardbroom watched Mildred for a moment, her heart felt like it was trying to punch a hole through her chest.

" Mildred ?" She asked softly, trying to get Mildred's attention. Her voice may have been soft, but it was still loud enough to get through to Mildred, who jumped, surprised by the sudden jolt back to Earth.

" Arrgh !" Mildred shouted, a hand over her chest and her eyes widened when she saw Miss Hardbroom who folded her arms in her customary pose. To an untrained eye, H.B looked like she was looking down her nose at Mildred, but fortunately that wasn't the case.

Mildred had known her teacher a long time, and when you know someone for a long time you get good at reading their body language. Mildred's relationship with Miss Hardbroom had never been a love - love relationship and more of a sort of love - tolerate relationship, fortunately a long way from love - hate. Mildred knew her teacher well enough to know that even though H.B could and would use discipline without being afraid of the consequences, she did know that Miss Hardbroom could also be a very fair person when she wanted to be.

Mildred looked closely at Miss Hardbroom, noting that even though she was trying to be strong she was also fighting an urge. Whether the urge was to run and hide, or break down in tears, Mildred had no idea.

" Are you alright, Miss Hardbroom ?" Mildred asked tentatively, moving closer to her old form teacher.

Miss Hardbroom's stance slackened with that sentence. _How was it_, Constance wondered, _I can be so harsh with this girl, yet when she uses that innocent question and that voice, I feel like I'm being bewitched ?_

" No Mildred Hubble, I'm not alright," Miss Hardbroom said, remembering all too well the time Mr Hallow, perfectionist extraordinaire, had tried to buy the school with an old student. H.B almost laughed at the idea of history repeating itself.

Mildred also caught onto the irony of the past, she chuckled, " What's wrong ?"

Miss Hardbroom looked into Mildred's eyes for a moment before she asked her next question. She'd rehearsed what she was going to say, made contingencies for any situation. But she hadn't figured on this.

" How can you be so compassionate to me after all I've said and done to you ? I made your time at the academy a nightmare, yet you helped me when I almost resigned. You helped me when I was about to go over a waterfall after being knocked unconscious."

Mildred couldn't help but point out a home truth on that last point, " Well, you did ask for that one. You did find Tabby, after taking him away from me that is." Mildred finished with a tone which told Miss Hardbroom that Mildred had never truly forgiven either her or Miss Cackle for nearly taking away Tabby.

Tabby had always been a speck of mud on the pristine surface of the academy, at least in Constance's eyes. Every other cat in the castle was a traditional black, which was one of the issues. Others were the fact Tabby, exasperatingly enough, was more like Mildred than one could contemplate.

It was to be expected, really. Familiars tended to reflect their owners personality - Mildred was clumsy, uncoordinated, slightly messy when she was younger before grooming herself, hated flying before she got over it and learnt to accept it. But that didn't mean she didn't have her own good qualities, Mildred was exceptionally gifted in getting in and out of trouble, she also performed excellently at her head girl duties, buckling down on her schoolwork.

Tabby also had his good qualities - most witches had familiars, not as a form of trophy to show off, but because they yearned company and friendship. Tabby was good company; Constance had seen him with Morganna a few times; the elegant feline she had, again another mirror image Miss Hardbroom had felt, Morganna had been slightly disdainful of the other cat, but after a while had learnt to accept him.

Miss Hardbroom remembered all too well when she'd been knocked out on that damned boat, how Mildred had come to her rescue and got Tabby to wrap himself around her neck, to keep her warm.

" I know that you haven't forgiven us for doing that Mildred, but at the time it seemed like a good idea." She replied.

" You didn't even consult with me if taking him away and replacing him was what I wanted," Mildred said calmly; Miss Hardbroom wished, just wished at that moment in time, she was dealing with an angry girl, not one whom was calm and mature. Again, she felt that she didn't even know Mildred Hubble.

Miss Hardbroom nodded gravely, and Mildred wondered what was coming next.

" I had time to think, especially when your cat came to me when I was recovering. He wrapped himself around my neck again, Morganna had never done that. I decided there and then to never interfere with you or your familiar again for as long as I lived."

Mildred sighed, sitting down on a piece of stone. She looked at the other woman as she did the same. " I wondered why you left him alone after that," she admitted. " But what is this about ?" Mildred asked, trying to get to the bottom of this and decided to use the same method of abruptness Miss Hardbroom was famous for.

Miss Hardbroom looked at her seriously, " I'm sorry." she said after a moment.

Mildred blinked, " For what ?"

Miss Hardbroom withheld the urge to sigh, " For everything, the way I treated you."

Mildred looked at her in shock, never had she heard Miss Hardbroom apologise for anything in her life, the apology for the way H.B had accused Hettie of the potions debacle a few weeks ago made no difference. For a moment, the young witch was uncertain about what to do. The it came to her.

Mildred felt four years of resentment for this woman bubble up within her, all the unfair punishments, the detentions, the accusations for things she hadn't even done, the unfair bullying….it all came out, making Mildred think her mouth was filled with bile.

" How could you ?" She whispered, hoping her lower voice frightened the old woman more than a raised voice.

" How could you bully me when I didn't do anything wrong ? I remember when you said I walked around in a dream, here's a newsflash for you, I don't always walk around in a dream. You picked on me for no reason, you didn't _even _bother to find out if I even did anything. You always thought it was me. What's worse, just because I had friends you picked on them to, regardless of whether they actually did anything wrong." Mildred let it all out in a flood.

Miss Hardbroom looked down at her shoes, unable to meet Mildred's gaze. " I think it may be because I crash landed in the courtyard, and then you already judged me."

Miss Hardbroom realised that she'd underestimated Mildred, she'd obviously thought about it. What's more she wasn't far from the truth.

Mildred's crash in the courtyard had set the stage for one episode after another, some of them more disastrous than the last. Mildred was right; that day many people had already thought of Mildred as the worst witch. Miss Hardbroom was more than grateful that the little adventure didn't mean she didn't have any friends. Jadu, Enid - even though she came later, Maud and Ruby and even two older girls, Fenella and Griselda were the best friends Mildred had at the time.

In truth everyone liked her, even the staff. There was something about Mildred Hubble that drew people to her, even people like Ethel Hallow.

Miss Hardbroom looked Mildred in the eyes, tears starting to form. She could see Mildred's eyes water slightly.

" I don't know how to apologise Mildred, I've felt the shame and the regret for never apologising ever since you left. When your cousin arrived, entering in exactly the same way, I had plans to make it up through Henrietta, except…" she trailed off.

Mildred finished the sentence for her, " Except you did the same to her. You favoured Belladonna and blamed Hetts for every little thing. How do you expect me to forgive you for that ?"

Miss Hardbroom didn't have an answer for her. Mildred left her alone, walking back into the castle.

The next day everyone knew Mildred was going to be sent back, in that time Mildred spent most of the day out of the school, walking through the forest. As she walked through the beautiful woods, Mildred couldn't help but turn her thoughts to a certain potions mistress.

Miss Hardbroom certainly seemed sincere, of that Mildred had no doubt. But the witch wasn't sure of how to deal with the problem. Mildred sat down on a log, the same log that she'd sat on during the art fair and sketched Tabby, and took the time to think.

Mildred was tempted to accept her apology, but that would mean nothing when she went back home to her time. Or would it ? The version of her would certainly remember her experiences here, in this time, she would remember accepting Miss Hardbrooms apology. Then she would remember going back, back to Cackle's where the Miss Hardbroom of that time would probably still be wrestling with her conscience. Mildred wasn't sure she'd want that.

That's when an idea popped into her mind.

Miss Hardbroom tried to catch Mildred's eye, but the young witch wouldn't look in her direction. Miss Cackle, who knew more than most, made a mental note to talk to Constance later on.

Amelia had known that her deputy head and potions mistress had been nursing this guilt for quite a long time, only fear that Mildred wouldn't accept had stopped her contacting the young witch.

Amelia remembered when that wretched cyber dog of Ruby's tried taking over the world, she remembered going herb gathering with Constance and the girls. Oh, what an exhilarating time she'd had. Amelia Cackle loved the children that became witches in her academy, she'd enjoyed spending some quality time with them. She recalled telling Constance that Mildred had the potential to become an outstanding witch.

Constance had thought that wouldn't happen.

Amelia wondered if Mildred would do the right thing, everyone was leaving in the next 3 days anyway. Somehow she imagined that Mildred would let her old form mistress sweat a little. Miss Hardbroom had a tendency to do that, it was only fitting that she receive a taste of her own medicine.

Hettie hugged Mildred, wishing she could stay a little while longer. They'd had some good times recently, Mildred had already gotten to know Mona and Cressie, for which she was grateful.

Mildred hugged Mona, glad that her cousin had managed to avoid the trench she and Ethel had, then she hugged Cressie, glad that her cousin had made two fantastic choices.

" We'll miss you," Cressie said to her sadly, Mona nodded. Mildred gave a mysterious smile, " I think we'll meet again, don't you ? Maybe sooner than you think."

Leaving the three girls to ponder what she meant - she wondered if Mona would be the one to catch on; Hallows were incredibly smart, in spite of one or two's arrogance. Mildred knew that Mona may figure out what she meant, the clues were all there after all.

Mildred said her goodbyes to the teachers, hugging Miss Nightingale, who looked ready to break down because Mildred had been a phenomenal help in her class. Miss Swoop was in a similar situation, she was crying because of the fact she knew Mildred, had competed against her, gone to Weirdsister college with her. At least she knew that Mildred would become even better than she was now.

Mildred ignored Miss Hardbroom, and instead hugged Miss Cackle, " I'll see you on the other side." the pupil said to her headmistress.

Miss Cackle held her at arms length, " Don't tell anyone of what you saw, no one. Not even me."

Mildred nodded, " I know, I wont."

Miss Cackle nodded and smiled, letting her go.

Mildred stood back, then Miss Hardbroom's visage appeared in the corner of her eye. She gazed at the sad potions mistress for a moment, then, " Goodbye."

That was it. No hug. No smile. Just one word.

Mildred went to stand in the corridor, waiting for Miss Cackle to perform the spell. Amelia was saddened that Mildred, who always seemed ready to forgive, wouldn't extend the same courtesy to Miss Hardbroom. But that was Mildred's decision, not hers.

She raised her hands slowly, gathered the power to chant the spell. When she'd finished there was a portal, waiting.

Mildred turned one last time, looked back and waved. Then she stepped inside.

The next 3 days, everyone was getting ready to go home. Miss Hardbroom was waiting for the gates to open, waiting to end this year and go home. This year, the last part of it at any rate, had surely exhausted her. She was tired. The worst part was that she knew that only one was to blame.

Herself.

Miss Hardbroom knew that next year she would try turning over a new leaf with Hettie. She only hoped the younger girl accepted it.

She realised that Miss Cackle was nodding her head impatiently for her to open the gate. Chastised, Miss Hardbroom opened the gate.

And almost had a heart attack.

Standing there, looking elegant and very stylish, was Mildred Hubble. Not the girl barely out of her teens, the girl that they'd sent back into the past. But the gifted and celebrated witch she was now. She was here, Mildred was actually here !

Mildred laughed when a 3 blurs tackled her, one a red blur, the other two black. Cressie and Hettie attacked her legs in a spectacular dive whilst Mona actually managed to stay upright enough to get to her chest. Mildred somehow managed to wrestle them into her warm embrace.

Hettie was chanting, " You're here ! You're here !"

Mildred chuckled, " I told you I'd meet you again, maybe sooner than you thought."

Those words spoke for themselves, " You've waited for this day, for how long ?" Mona asked in awe, stunned that anyone could be that patient.

" I've been waiting since I passed through the portal," Mildred explained to Mona, even though everyone heard her. " I've been waiting for this day since college, but I had other reasons for waiting."

Here, she looked directly at Miss Hardbroom, who felt that her heart was in her chest.

Without even knowing, or caring, that she was talking to virtually everyone, Mildred continued, " I needed time to think, I couldn't exactly say " I forgive you," when I was just about to go. I couldn't say " I forgive you," when I got home. The younger you wouldn't get it. So, I've been waiting."

Mildred looked her one time friend, mentor and enemy in the eye, " I forgive you."


End file.
